Head helmet



Patented Jan. 5, 1932 PATENT iff-ricey i JOSEPH B. DUCIIEK, or sT. LoUIs, MIssoUnI, AssIeNon To RAWLINGSMANIIFACTURING 2,

COMPANY, or s'r. Louis, MISSOURI, A coRroRATIoN or MIssouRI HEAD HELMET Application filed February 21, 1929. serial No. 341,752.

This invention relates to head helmets of the kind that are used by athletes in playing games, particularly, head helmetsof the type used by football players, which consists of a substantial-ly rigid shell formed of molded leather and provided with a lining of felt or other suitable material of a similar nature.

Notwithstanding the fact thjatghelmets of the type mentioned are usually provided with a device or means for absorbing down- `ward shocks or blows on the helmet, the

users head is liable to be injured if the helmet is subjected to an excessive downward shock or blow, due to the fact that the shock absorbing device will stretch or yield to such an extent as to permit the crown or toppiece the helmet is subjected to an excessive downward shock or blow.

Another object is to provide a head helmet that is equipped with an eilicient shock absorbing device that is inexpensive to construct and combine with the helmet, and which is of such design that long or continuous usage will not destroy its efliciency.

Figure l of the drawings is a front elevational vlew of a head helmet constructed 1n accordance with my invention.

of Figure l.

Figure 8 is a horizontal sectional view,

taken on the line 3-8 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view, similar to F igure 2, illustrating how the fromlmolded leather and provided with` an inner lining ofheavy felt or some other suit- .able material B of a similar nature.V Asis usual, thecrown is provided with reinforcing stripsl and Ventilating holes 2, and said crown fisattached at its lower edge to a portion A that covers the ears, forehead and back portion of the users head.

` A shock absorbing device comprising a resilient or elastic structure vis arranged'inside" `of thecrown A, s'o as to absorb downward shocks 4and blows exerted on the helmet and normally hold the extreme top portion of the crown out of engagement with the top of the users head.- In order to eliminatethe possi' bility of the `crown ever striking against the ltosuch anextent as to permit the top por- .tion of the crown .to strike againstY the top of the users head` when Vthe helmetis subjected to an excessive downwardk shock or' blow. Thus, as shown in Figures 2 and 8, the shock absorbing device ofthe helmet comprises a-resilient,-elastic or stretchable portion,` formed preferably from a plurality of elastic strips 3 that project radially'from a" center member tothe lower edge ofthe crown A to which said strips are-attached,

l and an inelastic or non-stretchable portion, `formed preferably from a plurality of inelasj tic strips 5 arranged aboveor in superimposed Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of said helmet, taken on the line 2-2 irelation with the elastic strips 3 and attached tothe center member 4 andto thelower'edge vof the crown A, strips 5 being longer than the Vstrips. .u In the normal use of a helmet of the construction above described, the inelastic or non-stretchabley portion of theshock absorbingdevice, formed by the inelasticfstrips 5,

`is inactiveand does not interfere kwith `the s stretching or elongationyof the elastic strips" 3, when said strips 3 stretch in the operation ferred form of my invention, A designates f the crown or top piece of a head helmet ofl the type used by football players, consisting. of a substantially rigid shell` formed usually of absorbing slight blows, or blows ofthe kind to which the crown is subjected inthe normal use of the helmet, Y At suchtimes the inelastic strips 5y are notunder'tension, due',M De

of course, to the fact that they are ot greaterV length than the elastic strips 3. When the crown ot the helmet is subjected to an excessive downward shock or blow, however, the crown will move downwardly to such an ex tent or degree that the strips 3 will stretch or elongate abnormally, therebyv causing the inelastic strips 5 to be stretched taut or placed under tension, as shown in Figure e, and thus rendering said strips 5 operative to arrest the downward movement of the crown and prevent it from striking against the toprot the users head. Y l i Obviously, the elastic or stretchable por-j tion, and the inelastic or non-stretchable portion of the shock absorbing device can be constructed in various ways without-departing from the spirit of my invention. l preter, however, to construct the shock absorbing device in such a way that it does not interfere with the circulation of air through the helmet and form the stretchable portionfof said device from strips 3 of elastic webbing that branch'radially from the center member 4 and which have their outer ends attached by stitches 6 tothe lower edge portion ot' the crown A, preferably, the stitches that are used to join the reinforcing strips 1 and the inner felt lining B to the crown. The nonstretchable portion oit the shock absorbing` deviceis formed by strips 5 of inelastic webbing,

comprising a. center member and a plurality ot elastic strips projecting radially Jfrom said center member and attached at their outer ends to the crown, and inelastic strips of greater length than said elastic strips, arranged above the same and having their inner and outer ends attached respectively to the center member and to the crown.

l Ll. A head helmet, comprising a crown, an inner lining for said crown attached to the same by stitches, and a. shock absorbing device inside ot said crown, compri-sing a stretchable elastic portion and a non-stretchableportion, both of which portions are attached to the crown by the stitches used to connect the lining to the crown;

5. A head helmet provided with a rigid crown,1a skeleton-like elastic 0r stretchable 'structure on the interior of the helmet attached to same and adapted to co-operate with f the head of the user to normally hold said crown spaced away from the users head, and non-stretchable devices attached to the interiorof the helmet and to said elastic structuretor preventing said `structure rom`V stretching to such an extent as to permit said crown to strike against theusers head when said crown is subjected to an excessive shock or blow.

JOSEPH B. DUCHEK.

whose outer ends are attached to the crown l Y by the same stitches 6 used to attach the strips 3 to the crown and whose inner ends are attached to the center member t by the same stitches GL that are used to attach the elastic strips 3 to the center member, the strips 3 and 5 being of such relative length that the inelastic Vstrips 5 come into service to limit the v degree of stretching or elongation of the elastic strips 3 when the crown is subjected to an excessive downward shock or blow.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is :v

l. A head helmetprovided with a shock absorbing device, comprising a plurality of elastic strips arranged so as to permit the crown' of the helmet to yield in the event of a blow and thereafter automatically `returnV said vcrown to its former position, and a plurality l of inelastic strips of greater length than said elastic strips, combined with same in such a way as to limit the elongation of same under certain conditions.

2. A head helmet provided with a shock absorbing device, comprising a plurality of radially-disposed elastic strips arranged inside of the crown of the helmet` and attached at their outer ends to said crown, and radiallydisposed inelastic strips of greater klength 

